Another Place
by Wynjamor
Summary: Typical OC-in-middle-earth fic. No pretensions, hopefully no mary-sue, just read if you like this sort of thing!
1. Exploration

Disclaimer: LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: A bored girl goes for a walk in the jungle, and stumbles through a gate into another place...  
  
Another Place  
  
This was the last time she went on holiday with her parents!! They were so damn controlling! First they tell her she can't take a friend with her, then they have the cheek to tell her she couldn't even go off by herself!  
  
Dangerous place my ass! Adriana thought as she stalked through the jungle. If they think I'm scared of a few snakes they've got another think coming! I mean, it's a just a glorified wood for god's sake!  
  
She was in South America, Peru to be exact. It was one of her parents "adventure" holidays, which meant they drove round the country in a Land Rover for two weeks, dragging her along with them, because at 16 she was, in their words, "Too young to stay at home alone"  
  
She could have stayed with a friend, but "We don't want to impose on someone else's parents. Two weeks is too long"  
  
Damn right. Too long to get whisked around a strange country looking at some crumbly old ruins, when she should be somewhere like Ibiza doing normal teenage things, i.e.; underage drinking and meeting guys. The trouble was, that's exactly what her parents had thought she'd do.  
  
"You'll be safer with us" They'd said. Yeah, sure. Safer and one hell of a lot more bored!  
  
Right now her parents were off looking at some crappy old temple with some archaeological group they'd tagged onto. She'd only managed to stay back at the "camp" thanks to a fake stomach upset. Must be that bloody dog-meat you made me eat. Adriana thought bitterly. Not only did the miles of empty jungle bore her half to death, but the food tasted terrible, and the amount of injections she'd had to have before coming just took the piss. She didn't even know what half these diseases were! Hopefully her parents would think she had one and send her back to England.  
  
As soon as they had left that morning she'd told the guide, some Peruvian with a name that sounded like "Fisherprice" that she was going to explore. His English was non-existent, but he was getting paid enough to do whatever her or her parents wanted. Well, she said enough, but what was a lot out here was probably pocket change back home. Anyway, the guy had just smiled and nodded and off she'd gone into the undergrowth.  
  
Just a torch, machete and packed lunch! She thought happily, cutting down vines and any other plant that got remotely in her way. She knew that the camp was back that way, and her dad had said something about a village being this way, which was the direction she'd been walking in for the past hour. She was hot, tired, but anything was better than lying in a cramped tent with insects crawling all over you. At least now she was outside with insects crawling all over her.   
  
Eventually she came to what looked like a cliff face rising out of the jungle. It just appeared before her through the trees like some giant wall blocking her path. Slowly she turned round. I guess the village isn't here after all. She thought in a way that said she'd expected it all along. Great. Well, I've come this far!  
  
With that she stepped forwards and began to scale the cliff. It was sheer further up, but the lower half was a mess of fallen rocks which formed a sort of haphazard staircase up to a large fissure in the stone. After about 5 minutes of sweated effort she reached it and sat down just inside the entrance, glad of the shade from the hot sun.  
  
The fissure reached back into the cliff face as far as Adriana could see, which wasn't very far considering it was pitch black. After regaining her breath she got out her torch and switched it on, illuminating about 10m back into the "cave". The floor was uneven, but stretched back further than the area of light cast by the torch.  
  
Adriana cast a glance back out into the harsh sunlight. Her parents wouldn't be back till late, and it couldn't be past noon yet, and going a few metres further would hardly make a difference on the miles she must've covered already.  
  
With that in mind, she got to her feet and set off into the cave.  
  
Wait a second, what am I doing? She suddenly stopped dead. What if I get lost in here? There's no way I could find my way out!  
  
Which was why she took a scrap of paper out of her pocket, hunted for a pen, and, starting from the entrance to the cave, began to record her steps.  
  
20 paces forwards...three left...five forwards...  
  
And so she went on. Every time she came to a branch in the path she recorded which tunnel she'd taken, left, right, 2^nd on the right, middle, until the scrap of paper was nearly full. The cave was blacker than black, the only illumination coming from her little torch, glinting off the natural crystals in the walls.  
  
Just when she'd decided to turn back, she came to another branch in the path.  
  
By now I should be way under the cliff! She thought with some wonder. I wonder how far back this thing stretches, and if anyone's come here before? But by the looks of things no one had. The cave, although with a ceiling a good two feet above her head, and with dry walls which were sure to provide good protection against the elements, looked like not even animals had come inside. There were no bones on the floor, nothing to suggest it had ever been visited.  
  
Well then, I'd better leave my mark!  
  
Adriana picked up a sharp stone from the floor of the tunnel, and stepped forwards to carve her name on the wall. Her plan was to do it just inside the right-hand tunnel of the three which she could choose from, but as she took that step...  
  
The cave vanished. Adriana was standing in sunlight again, but this time it was gentler. Green grass sloped away before her, waving in the gentle summer breeze which ruffled her long black hair.  
  
"What the..." She voiced her bewilderment, dropping the stone without realising.  
  
The cave was behind her, it's opening like some black mouth of doom, the only blemish in an otherwise perfect cliff face which rose up to meet white mountains towering thousands of feet above, their tops shrouded in cloud. Instead of jungle the grass in front of her met with a deep green forest which stretched as far as the eye could see.  
  
"Oh, damn" Adriana turned to go back into the cave, only to find that no matter how far she went, when she turned to look back the soft grass and gentle forest were still there.  
  
Huh, I'd love my parents to see this! She thought happily. A piece of British countryside in the middle of Peru...only Peru's not here anymore...  
  
Panic suddenly filled her chest, and she found herself running down the slope as fast as she could towards the woods. She crashed into the trees and leaped over fallen branches in her haste to reach anywhere that seemed remotely normal.  
  
After a minute she stopped. The woods were silent. I must've scared all the animals away She decided, but deep down she wasn't so sure. Woods weren't supposed to be this quiet; there were always birds singing in the trees, or insects buzzing round.  
  
She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The feeling where someone is watching you was very strong, and slowly she turned...  
  
"Oh, hello there!" She exclaimed in relief as she saw the man standing in the trees. "I'm lost, could you tell me where I am?"  
  
The man was tall, over six foot, and heavyset like a logger. He had a straggly growth of thick hair and a black beard that masked his mouth. His eyes were small and set deep in his face, and he was wearing the clothes of someone who you'd expect to see living in a forest, but nevertheless, Adriana was lost, and he was there.  
  
He stood watching her, a look of bemusement on his face.  
  
Must be Spanish The girl thought. This is probably just the place on the other side of the cliff...That village dad talked about!  
  
"Erm...Soy Inglesa" She said now, confident once more, hoping that the man would get the picture and say something helpful like, "The village is this way" or "I can show you back to your camp"  
  
But he just stood there, and instead of understanding, she saw a different look in his eyes. One that she definitely didn't like.  
  
"Could you tell me where I am, please?" She said, quieter now as the man came slowly towards her, his eyes sweeping her up and down.  
  
"Erek mblang yug nriff rek" Was what the words he uttered sounded like.  
  
That sure as hell wasn't Spanish Was the thought that jumped into Adriana's mind about the same time the big man lunged at her.  
  
She shrieked, jumping backwards to get out of his way, but he was fast, and had knocked her to the ground before she could get the breath to scream. His weight crushed her down, pinning her arms to her sides as he said something else in his uncouth tongue, before grabbing her round the waist.  
  
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Adriana's mind screamed. What did they tell you, huh? They said that this was a dangerous place, and you didn't listen, and now you're about to get raped by some bloke with a beard the size of Lancashire!  
  
She struggled, but the man made a noise like laughing and said something else she didn't understand. She understood his tone well enough though.  
  
"Get off me!" She managed to cry through teeth clenched with the effort of drawing breath. The man laughed again, and then a thought came to her.  
  
While he was busy fiddling with his clothing at the same time as holding her down and laying half on top of her, she twisted her wrist enough to get her hand into her trouser pocket. Here she found the small penknife she started carrying when she realised you couldn't carve a spoon out of a branch with a machete. Flicking it open, she angled her wrist upwards and pushed as hard as she could, feeling the three-inch blade slide into the man's flesh as easily as into an apple.  
  
The man screamed and pulled back, and Adriana took the opportunity to wriggle out from under him, scramble to her feet, and run for her life.  
  
A/N; The Spanish, in case you couldn't guess, meant "I'm English", and as for what the man said, well, I made that up. I had to put all those in b/c ff.net doesn't like italics or bold. I'll try my best not to make this a Mary-Sue! 


	2. Don't You Wish You'd Stayed Home?

Disclaimer: LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: A bored girl goes for a walk in the jungle, and stumbles through a gate into another place...  
  
Another Place - Don't You Wish You'd Stayed Home?  
  
Adriana had never in her life been so glad to be wearing trainers. Normally she thought people just wore them when they couldn't be bothered to pick out proper shoes, but she was glad as hell she had them on right now!  
  
Crashing through the undergrowth as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her ears from the shock of what had just happened, she glanced back in time to see her attacker coming through the forest after her.  
  
Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap was the mantra-like phrase running through her head. She could hear the man's heavy breathing as he ran after her, hear his guttural shouts as he shoved aside branches and leaves in his dash to get to her. She ran even faster, knowing that if he caught her that would be it. He'd probably not just rape her but kill her into the bargain.  
  
As she was running, there was one thought which made itself known;  
  
That wasn't Spanish he was speaking. In fact, I have no idea what that was!  
  
Fear turned to puzzlement as she glanced back once again, only to see the man had gained so that now he could grab her if he felt like leaping for her.  
  
Feeling her lungs burning from the effort, and with her heart hammering in her chest, she made one last surge forwards, only to see the ground drop sharply away in front of her, disappearing immediately to become a drop of some 300 feet.  
  
Adriana's eyes sent a startled message up her optic nerve to her brain, which processed it within milliseconds and ordered her legs to stop running before she fell headfirst off the cliff.  
  
Her feet skidded on the soft grass and she felt herself still moving forwards. Her arms went out uselessly to grab thin air, and as the realisation came that she was about to plummet to her death, the man caught up.  
  
His massive, black-haired arms snatched her up into a bear-hug, squeezing the breath out of her once again, and pulling her back from the edge. She was almost grateful, until her adrenaline-filled senses realised this was the man who wanted to hurt her.  
  
"Get the hell away from me!" She screamed, but was cut off as a massive, rough hand was shoved across her mouth, stopping her from inhaling another breath. Her ribs ached as he crushed them, turning her away from the cliff edge and lifting her up off the ground, so that her feet dangled in mid-air.  
  
She watched from terrified eyes as he carried her back into the forest, walking with a slow, deliberate step, laughing in that ugly way of his, and whispering something right next to her ear. She could smell his foul breath, and also the fact that he hadn't washed...ever. Forcing herself to stay calm so she didn't choke herself to death, Adriana stopped struggling, allowing him to carry her some way into the trees.  
  
Her only hope now was that he'd let her go before he did anything else to her. She knew she couldn't outrun him, and she'd lost her machete ages ago. Her penknife was probably on the ground where it had fallen after stabbing the man, so the only sharp things she had left were her teeth and nails. They'd have to do.  
  
Without warning the man stopped, and his hand left her mouth. By now he was holding her so tightly she couldn't even hope to draw breath, and she struggled in his grip as he caressed her neck beneath her hair.  
  
She shuddered at his touch, but could already see dark spots dancing in her vision.  
  
This is no time to faint! She thought angrily, even as the world began to fade. You've not done it yet and you're not about to start now!  
  
Even as she was thinking this and feeling her strength dissipate, the man suddenly released her. Just like that. One moment he was crushing her ribs, and the next he'd let go.  
  
Adriana stumbled forwards and whirled round, ready to fight this beast if he tried to grab her again, but she stopped when she saw the look on his face. It was one of surprise and bewilderment.  
  
The man's neck exploded in a shower of blood and muscle. Adriana gasped and jumped back as she saw the arrow which protruded from his gullet. His eyes bulged momentarily, and he fell forwards like a pushed-over tree.  
  
"Oh my god" Adriana breathed as she stared at the dead body. She'd never seen a dead person before, and it was more than a little weird.  
  
There was a voice from somewhere in front of her. Adriana's head snapped up, her eyes searching for the speaker. At fist she could see no one, but gradually the outline of a man appeared against the forest green. He was dressed in green also, and blended in with his surroundings. He had long blonde hair, dark eyes, and carried a large bow, with a quiver of arrows on his back.  
  
"Who are you?!" Adriana demanded, stepping back, suddenly afraid of someone who'd take another man's life.  
  
The tall blonde man stopped and looked at her with interest. He said someone else, which, like the dark man, definitely wasn't Spanish.  
  
"I have no idea what you're saying" Adriana said. "But just stay there!" She took another step back as he took one towards her. He stopped again and said something, his voice gentle and his eyes worried.  
  
After a few seconds the two stared at each other, both unsure of how to overcome the language barrier. Then the man spoke, and he only said two words while placing a hand on his chest.  
  
"Legolas Greenleaf".  
  
His accent was strange, melodious almost, but Adriana figured he was introducing himself. She walked towards him until they were just a few feet apart and held out her hand.  
  
"Adriana Warden"  
  
Instead of shaking her proffered hand, the man took it and gently kissed it, bowing slightly as he was almost a foot taller than her.  
  
Adriana was surprised at this move, she'd only wanted to shake...but this man was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen, and if he wanted to kiss her hand he could damn well kiss her hand!  
  
She studied him as he did this, and noticed his ears...were pointy.  
  
"Hey, you're an...an..." Legolas looked up as she stammered. "You're an Elf!"  
  
He smiled, seeing her staring at his ears, and said something in the musical language he had. She smiled back, still amazed at what she was seeing, not quite wanting to believe her own eyes.  
  
Now the Elf/Man straightened and motioned for her to follow him towards the cliff she'd almost fallen off.  
  
"Oh, but I came through a cave back that way!" Adriana said, before realising he couldn't understand a word she said. "I don't even know where I am..."  
  
The man looked at her with sympathetic eyes, but motioned once again for her to follow. Seeing no other choice, she did.  
  
A/N: Not a Mary-Sue yet, yay! Please review, but don't flame! 


	3. Definitely Not Peru

Disclaimer: LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: A bored girl goes for a walk in the jungle, and stumbles through a gate into another place.  
  
Another Place: Definitely not Peru  
  
A/N: I found this old fic and realised the format went a bit wrong on ff.net so I'm re-posting it with corrections. I'm afraid its not the best thing I've written, but hopefully someone will like it! Apologies for further chapters that are still odd - I hope to fix them soon!  
  
Adriana and the Elf walked through the woods for a minute or two, until they came to the cliff edge. She shuddered as she peered over the drop, her heart only just settling back to its normal rhythm.  
  
Legolas motioned once again for her to follow, and he led her to the right, where, some 15 metres from where she'd run to before, was a steep path leading downwards. It couldn't be seen easily until you were right on top of it, and even if she had seen it earlier she had no doubt that running she'd have fallen down it had she tried to use it.  
  
The tall Elf went down a few feet, then stopped. Saying something else in his melodic tone, he held out a hand for her to take. Adriana looked down the steep incline once more, then at his hand, and slowly shook her head.  
  
"I can manage" She said.  
  
Legolas looked at her for a moment, said something else which she took to mean; "If you're sure" and started his descent. She followed a few paces behind, her eyes scanning the tricky path for any loose stones which she could stumble over.  
  
The path snaked its way along the cliff face, running straight for a few dozen metres before dropping and turning sharply to double-back on itself. Legolas found his way with ease, his feet making no impression on the stones, and disturbing none of the plant life which grew in this precarious position. Adriana marvelled at this, wondering how, when he probably weighed far more than her, he managed to make far less mess! She felt like about as graceful as an elephant when walking after him.  
  
Legolas glanced back every so often to check she was alright, and she smiled at this. He seemed so concerned for her safety, and although offering her his hand was sweet, it was totally unnecessary. The feminist inside her even found it a little patronising, but this was a different place, whatever her logical brain may be telling her.  
  
Before long they reached the bottom of the cliff, and Adriana surveyed the new surroundings. The woods hadn't ended with the cliff, and stretched out as far as she could see. The grass here was just as lush and green as before. In fact, the whole place gave off an aura of health which she hadn't experienced anywhere before. Back in England, unless you were in some isolated country village, the air smelled of people and cars, and you could always here the low whoosh of a nearby motorway. At night-time the sky was never dark, but glowed with street-lights or headlights, obscuring the view of the stars.  
  
Now there was not a road in sight. Nor were there any telephone lines, electricity pylons, houses, people, nothing. There were no sounds of human habitation either, only bird-calls, the rustle of small animals in the undergrowth, and the buzz of the odd insect.  
  
She came out of her thoughts as she realised Legolas was waiting for her. He had gone a little way into the trees, but stopped when he noticed she wasn't following. With a shake of her head she did, breathing the sweet air and enjoying the feeling of serenity that the land brought about in her.  
  
They walked through the trees, whose leaves shone golden in the sunlight, dappling the forest floor on which they trod. Birds sung close by, and even though Adriana was no ornithologist she could tell they were different to the ones she knew. She walked by Legolas's side, and knew that he had slowed his pace so she could keep up. He went with a smile in his eyes, as if he loved the woods, and felt he was at home here.  
  
Adriana thought, a strange peace settling over her mind.   
  
Their path stayed straight for about half an hour, but then Legolas began to turn to the left, following the course of a small stream, which Adriana figured was heading north from the position of the sun, glimpsed through a gap in the canopy above. The mountains she'd seen as she exited the cave were behind them now, still towering but distant, and the land was beginning to slope down once again.  
  
The Elf spoke, and although Adriana didn't understand the words, she knew by his tone she should get ready for something. However, whatever she did wouldn't prepare her for what she saw next.  
  
First, the bubbling of the stream grew louder, and Adriana could hear the rushing of a waterfall. The ground dropped away once again, this time even more sharply than before, and the girl saw the far cliff before she saw into the valley.  
  
Waterfalls cascaded down the cliff sides all around the vale. They frothed white, with roaring water which could be heard faintly crashing into the river far below. Stepping quickly to the edge, Adriana peered down, and saw, nestled into the rocks near the bottom of the valley, the most amazing house she'd ever laid eyes on.  
  
It was many-tiered, with balustrades, arches, balconies, bridges over the numerous streams running through and around it, and everything was made from a pale rock which contained veins that sparkled alternately red, purple, blue and green, depending on where you looked. The whole place was draped in greenery, with amazing flowers blossoming everywhere.  
  
"Whoa..." Adriana breathed, trying to take it all in. "That's one hell of a house!"  
  
"Rivendell" Legolas said simply.  
  
"Is it yours" She asked, looking at him as he looked at her. He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Ah, never mind" Adriana said, turning away to look at the house once again. "Is that where we're going?" She motioned to the edge of the cliff. "Where's the path this time?"  
  
Legolas seemed to get what she was asking, because he smiled and began to walk once more, this time towards something she could make out. A stone staircase was set into the cliff face, and its steps were wide enough for her to traverse without being worried of falling, and surprisingly dry considering the amount of water around.  
  
The descent was slower this time, as the stairs were numerous, but the going was far easier than the last cliff had been. At intervals along the staircase were carved figures in the rock, in the shape of what Adriana guessed were Elves. They were dressed in long robes, and had long hair, with pointed ears. Each was only about a foot tall, but the workmanship that had gone into them was astounding. Each one bore an expression of peace, and held their hands together as if in prayer, or perhaps greeting to the visiting traveller. The detail on their faces and hands was exquisite. Each nail was carefully outlined, and every fold in the cloth of their robes was visible. Weathering had given them a smooth appearance, without washing away any of the features.  
  
At the bottom of the steps, a path was set into the ground in white stone, and this led over a bridge straddling a stream, into a courtyard at one end of the house. Adriana stared around herself, her eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
She thought. I  
  
Legolas stood silent for a moment, looking through a door opposite him and Adriana. A moment later a tall man stepped through. Adriana gasped. He had dark hair, and dark eyes, but his face was just as beautiful as Legolas's. She'd thought that maybe her saviour was just particularly handsome, but here was another man she'd have stopped and stared at in the street!  
  
The newcomer fixed her with a steady gaze and said something to Legolas, who replied. She heard her name being mentioned, and then the one with dark hair turned and went back through the open doorway. Legolas gently took Adriana's arm, and led her after him. Once again she was flattered at his kindness, but felt strange having a man being so courteous to her.  
  
They walked down a length of corridor, then turned right, eventually coming to a door set in a grand archway. The Elf with dark hair knocked on this, and it swung inwards, revealing a shadowy space within.  
  
As Adriana's eyes adjusted to the new light, she made out that the room was actually a hall of some sort, and that there were indeed windows at the far end, along with a balcony. There was no glass to be seen, which again struck the girl as strange. Her and Legolas were ushered into the room, where a man stood, the tallest she'd seen yet. He was looking right at her, and suddenly she was glad of the shadows.  
  
The tall man also had dark hair, and although he looked youthful, there was an age to his eyes, which were wise, and seemed to hint at some deeper thing which Adriana couldn't quite fathom.  
  
The Elf shifted his gaze to Legolas at her side, who bowed deeply and introduced himself, or at least Adriana caught his name and a few sentences which could've been anything. The taller man nodded, and motioned to Adriana, who had unconsciously moved back slightly.  
  
Now Legolas moved her forwards and said her name, before launching into what seemed to be an explanation of the past few hours. The tall Elf nodded again, and said something directed at the girl.  
  
Adriana thought desperately, not wanting this new person to think she was completely stupid. He was obviously someone who held power over here.  
  
"I have no idea what you just said" she blurted.  
  
"I mean, I'm sure it was very good, but I don't speak whatever it is you speak"  
  
The Elf didn't bat an eyelid. He gazed at her for a few seconds, before saying something to the dark-haired Elf who'd brought them there. The Elf left the room, but his footfalls were silent as he retreated down the corridor. During a small discussion with Legolas in which they both seemed to ignore Adriana, someone was heading towards Elrond's Hall.  
  
Legolas and the other Elf fell silent as an old man strode into the room. He carried a tall staff, and wore long grey robes. He also had a long grey beard, bushy eyebrows, and a pointed hat.  
  
"Wizard!" Adriana exclaimed, and all three men looked at her. "Well, he is!" she said defensively.  
  
The wizard exchanged a few words with the in-charge Elf, and then came to stand in front of Adriana, who suddenly felt very self-conscious. She tried to step back, but found herself held still by some inexplicable will that wasn't her own. She felt her heart begin to race again as the all-too recent feeling of being trapped came back to her. The old man raised his staff, uttered some words, and a bright light blinded her.  
  
When the spots had stopped dancing across her vision, Adriana realised the wizard was now standing by the taller Elf.  
  
"What the hell did you just do?!" she demanded, angry at being forced not to move.  
  
The wizard and the taller Elf both raised their eyebrows. Legolas looked at her strangely - the sort of look you get off your mother if you swear in front of your grandparents.  
  
"Well, now that we've crossed the language barrier, let's find out just how you came to be here, hmm?" the old wizard said.  
  
Adriana nearly jumped out of her skin. He was speaking English! She wondered.  
  
"Ok, this may seem like a strange question, but would you mind telling me where exactly *this* is, and who exactly, you are?"  
  
A/N: Adriana is speaking English (she is English) she just knows some Spanish. Legolas does know common speech in the book, but I don't think the common speech of the 3rd Age would be the same as modern-day English. Still no sign of Mary-Sue! Please review, but don't flame!! 


	4. Tutelage

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: Adriana took a work in the jungle and stepped through a gate into Middle-Earth. She met with Legolas and he took her to Rivendell, where Gandalf put a spell on her to make her language understandable.  
  
  
  
Another Place – Tutelage  
  
  
  
Adriana was sitting on the balustrade of her balcony, gazing out across the valley of Rivendell when a knock came at her door.  
  
"Come in" She called, and the door swung smoothly open.  
  
In stepped Prince Legolas, and Adriana couldn't quite hide the look of surprise on her face. Legolas looked a little strangely at her sitting on the balcony, one leg dangling over the side, leaning back against the wall.  
  
"Lady Adriana, I have come to give you your first archery lesson."  
  
Adriana raised an eyebrow. "Archery lesson?"  
  
"Yes" Legolas replied. "Mithrandir thinks it wise that you learn to handle weapons, especially if you are to travel from Rivendell"  
  
The girl jumped lightly down from the balustrade. "Travel? Do you know something I don't?" She'd been in Elrond's house for some three days, and hadn't yet got used to the secretiveness of the Elves, the way they had of just telling you enough to make you want to know more.  
  
Legolas smiled. "No, my Lady. It is just in case you wish to travel. Middle-Earth can be a dangerous place, and it is good that you learn these skills now. You shall also learn sword-fighting, but I shall not instruct you on that."  
  
"Oh, ok" Adriana nodded. "Well, let's go"  
  
Legolas held open the door for her as she left her room, and then joined her to walk down one of the many corridors in Rivendell.  
  
"First we must find you some suitable clothing" He said. Since arriving, Adriana had managed to fend off all the female Elves offers of dresses and robes. She had asked for some trousers, and after a small confusion over what trousers were (turned out to be breeches) and some well-contained disapproval on the part of the Elves, some were made in her size, along with a light shirt and overcoat.  
  
"I need special clothes to use a bow?" She now said, smiling up at the Prince.  
  
"Yes" He said, looking back down at her. "You need a bracer, and I think a finger tab, until you get used to pulling the string back"  
  
"Erm, a bracer's the thing you wear on your arm to stop the string catching you, right?"  
  
"Yes" Legolas smiled. "See, you know something already"  
  
"Hardly. I only know that because of a visit to a weapon's museum with school. I don't think I've ever actually picked up a bow in my life"  
  
"There's a first time for everything. Here we are." Legolas motioned to a door in the corridor to the left. They stepped through, and Adriana found herself in a room filled with weapons. Racks filled the walls, and rows of bows and swords marched down to the end wall, some 20 feet away.  
  
"Wow" She breathed.  
  
Legolas walked down the centre of the room, and stopped near the end. He pulled a bow from the top shelf, and weighed it in his hands, glancing at Adriana as he did so.  
  
"Try this one" He said.  
  
Adriana went over and took the carved bow from him. She raised it and pulled back the string, taking an imaginary aim.  
  
"It feels a little weird" She said. "Kinda like it wants to lean to the left"  
  
"Then its not the right one" Legolas said, and took the bow from her, handing her another. This one was less ornate than the last, but made of a wood so dark it was almost black. At either end it had tiny designs inlaid in silver, but was plain elsewhere. Again Adriana held the weapon up and tried to hold it steady as she pulled back the string. It wasn't heavy, but had a reassuring weight about it, and it stayed straight in her hand as she aimed at a point on the wall.  
  
"That is the right one for you" Legolas said, smiling. "See how it balances perfectly?" He reached up to another shelf and took down two pieces of leather, and handed these to Adriana also.  
  
"This is the brace, and this is your finger tab. I'll show you how to put them on when we get to the range." With that he led the way out of the room.  
  
The archery range was set in the midst of tall trees in one of the many gardens of the house. Butts were set up all along the far end of the range, and markers in the grass indicated distances and angles. Legolas chose a place about 50 yards from one of the butts, and showed Adriana how to wear the brace and finger tab, and how to put an arrow onto the string and fire it. He then took his own bow – a large ornate object, beautifully carved – and shot an arrow down the range. It hit the target dead-centre, embedding itself deeply in the straw.  
  
"Your turn" The Elf said.  
  
Adriana fitted an arrow onto the string like she'd been shown, pulled back, and released. The arrow flew straight, although not as fast as the Elf's, and hit the target about 4 inches from the centre. She looked at Legolas for a comment, and saw that he was smiling.  
  
"That's not bad to say you've never used a bow before"  
  
"Thanks" Adriana grinned. "Probably beginner's luck though. I'll get worse as I practice more"  
  
"Nonsense" Legolas said. "You're under the teaching of the Elves, who are the best archers in Middle-Earth. If we can't teach you how to use a bow, no one can"  
  
Now he came to stand behind her, and as she raised the bow a second time he took her left arm and moved it slightly, positioning the bow at the perfect angle. He told her to draw back, and made sure her arm remained straight, and the hand holding the arrow was aligned correctly.  
  
Adriana was very aware of him standing there.  
  
He's just giving you direction She thought. It's nothing to get flustered about!  
  
When Legolas was happy, he stepped back.  
  
"Release" He said.  
  
She did. The arrow flew straight and clean, slamming into the target right in the middle, burying itself in straw right next to Legolas's arrow.  
  
"Hey!" Adriana exclaimed. "It did it!"  
  
"You did it" Legolas corrected. "And now all you need to do is practice"  
  
"This is so cool" Adriana said, smiling hugely. She took another arrow, fitted it, and released it after a few second's careful aim. It hit the target in the centre once again, lifting the girl's spirits immensely. All of a sudden, being away from home didn't seem so bad.  
  
The first archery lesson concluded an hour later, and saw Adriana jubilant, but smiling through clenched teeth as the muscles in her arm protested over the sudden use. Legolas escorted her back to her room, where she lay down and rested for a while, before her mind turned to other things, and she began to think back on the past few days.  
  
After the meeting with Elrond and Gandalf, she had been shown to a room in the massive house, where she spent most of the first few house staring at the carvings worked into the masonry, and the furniture, like none she'd ever seen before. After getting over that, a female Elf had come to take her sizes for some clothes.  
  
Adriana had been agreeable to this, until the Elf had mentioned the word "dress".  
  
"Dress?"  
  
"For you to wear, my lady" The Elf had replied.  
  
"But I don't wear dresses"  
  
The Elf had looked at her as one might look at a child who'd just said they didn't eat fruit.  
  
"It is customary in Middle-Earth for women to wear dresses" She'd said patiently.  
  
"And where I come from it's not. Or at least they can if they want to, but most wear trousers"  
  
"Trousers?"  
  
This was the confused bit where Adriana wondered what they'd call trousers.  
  
"Erm…what men wear over here…breeches?"  
  
The female Elf nodded slowly. "You wish to wear breeches?"  
  
"Yes" Adriana smiled.  
  
The Elf was very good at hiding any disdain she might have felt. "Very well, some shall be made for you"  
  
"Thanks" Adriana had said, and the Elven woman left.  
  
That night Adriana was sent for to attend dinner at Elrond's table. The Lord had taken an interest in this stranger from a seemingly different world. She'd been escorted into a great hall, with blazing fires filling the air with warmth, and many Elves filling it with laughter and song. They had the sweetest voices Adriana had ever heard, and she had a hard time keeping her mind of just listening to them.  
  
She'd sat near Elrond, and had been introduced to his daughter, Arwen, who made Adriana feel like a boy. In fact, Adriana was just as pretty, only it would take a few more years for her beauty to fully develop as she reached womanhood, but this Elven Lady clothed in fine robes, with Adriana in trousers and the customary shirt, made the latter feel just a little out of place.  
  
Dinner had passed well, with Adriana being polite, and enjoying the strange food the Elves ate. Before long she was full, but wine kept being poured, until the human girl should have been drunk, but instead she felt calm and at peace with the world, such was the effect of the Elven drink.  
  
After the dinner she'd slept deeply until mid-morning, when she'd been woken by an Elf bringing more clothes, and a pitcher of water for her to wash her hands and face in. Adriana was seeing similarities between Middle- Earth and the Middle-Ages more and more each day, but unlike the Middle- Ages, people here weren't disease-ridden, god-fearing subjects of a self- elected monarch.  
  
Soon after she'd washed, Gandalf had called at her room.  
  
"Adriana" He'd begun, after observing the way she reacted to being called "Lady". "I'd like to hear more about your world, and I'm sure you have some questions about Middle-Earth, so shall we talk a walk to the Library, where we can talk undisturbed?"  
  
"Sure" Adriana had replied. "There is so much I want to know!"  
  
The girl and the wizard had talked all day long, and late into the night. They discussed history, politics, technology, social structure, geography, and at the end of it Adriana's mind reeled with all the things she'd been told. She felt a whole lot better, however, to understand something of the way this world worked.  
  
The next day had passed uneventfully, with Adriana just exploring the grounds of the house, though not venturing into the valley beyond. She didn't feel she should without telling someone, and she wasn't sure who to tell.  
  
In all the three days she'd been at Rivendell, she'd not seen Legolas since the day he found her in the woods. His knock at her door was unexpected, but not unappreciated.  
  
Now the sun was setting in the western sky, and Adriana came out of her thoughts in time to prepare for the evening meal. Again it was to be held in the great hall, and for once in her life Adriana did something her mother was always telling her to do.  
  
She opened the doors of a large wardrobe set in a corner of the room, and studied the dresses within.  
  
  
  
A/N: To answer Twitteringpigs' questions, this takes place in the 3rd age, and in this universe LOTR doesn't exist. To Mary, I don't know why the chapter's wouldn't come up, if you try enough it usually works! And the Elves made Adriana some dresses anyway, maybe to encourage her to dress more Lady-like! Please review, but flames will be used to heat meals when Adriana loses her lighter. 


	5. So Much To Think About

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien, Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: Adriana stumbles through a gate into Middle-Earth, if found by Legolas and escorted to Rivendell, where Gandalf places a spell upon her to make her language understandable.  
  
Another Place: So Much To Think About  
  
"You are in Rivendell, child" Lord Elrond said, his voice calm but his eyes curious. "The Last Homely House. Was Prince Legolas right in assuming your name is Adriana?"  
  
Adriana looked at Legolas. "Erm, yeah, my name is Adriana. Adriana Warden, and I'm hardly a child"  
  
Again the Lord raised his eyebrows. "To us your life is but the blink of an eye. Forgive me if I have caused offence, but you look to me like a daughter of men, and one not old enough to marry."  
  
"That's true, but who says I'd want to marry even if I was old enough? What did you say your name was?" Adriana wasn't taking offence, exactly, but she was feeling a little patronised.  
  
"I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, and this is Gandalf the Grey, or Mithrandir as he is known amongst the Elves"  
  
Gandalf had a smile in his eyes as he listened to this exchange. He'd obviously never met someone with such open opinions.  
  
"To answer your earlier question, my lady, that I did to you was a spell to allow us to communicate. Your language is like non I have ever heard" he said.  
  
The girl blushed slightly as she remembered her outburst, but what was she supposed to think? It's not like some guy points a glowing stick at you every day!  
  
"I've never heard your language either" she now said. She took a deep breath, which gave her a few moments to gather her thoughts. "I know you said where we are, but, where exactly this? I mean, one moment I'm walking through the rainforests of Peru, the next I'm in a meadow!"  
  
"You are in Middle-Earth" Gandalf replied. "Where, exactly, is Peru?"  
  
"It's a country in South America, which is right below the USA." she stopped as she realised they would have no idea what she was talking about. "I don't live there, I was just visiting." Again she stopped. These people might have no concept of holidays, air travel, anything she took for granted.  
  
"I can see this is going to take some time" Elrond said, seeing his guest's hesitation. Prince Legolas, I will have someone show you to your rooms, where you can rest. Myself and Mithrandir will talk more with this lady"  
  
Legolas bowed and left the hall, giving Adriana a parting smile. "If you need me, just ask someone and I'll come" he said to her as he passed.  
  
"Come this way, where we can take refreshments while you tell me your story" Elrond said, and led the way to the far end of the hall. To the left of the balconied area there was an archway set into the wall, and through this was another room. It was circular, and again a balcony formed one wall. There were four carved chairs set around an ornate table, which was set with food and drink, as if expecting people to sit at it. Elrond motioned for Adriana to do just that, and he and Gandalf seated themselves after her.  
  
Now Adriana was more on eye-level with the two, and she felt more comfortable speaking with them. There was so much she wanted to know, but so much she had to tell first. After all, she was the stranger in this place.  
  
"Now, why don't you tell us your tale?" Elrond said gently.  
  
"Ok" Adriana began. "I live in England, which is an island country set off the coast of a bigger landmass, called Europe. I live with my parents, and they're all into archaeology and stuff, so for our holiday this year we went to Peru - it's about 4000 miles away from England."  
  
"4000 miles?" Elrond looked amazed and a little dubious. "You travelled that far?"  
  
"Yeah, by plane - they're like flying machines that can carry passengers from one place to another really quickly"  
  
Elrond and Gandalf exchanged a look.  
  
"We shall talk more of those things later" Gandalf said. "And I would be very interested to know about the geography of your land, but now tell us what happened next."  
  
"Well, we got to Peru, which is a country on another landmass different from the one I live next to, and Peru has lots of ancient ruins and jungles, which my parents love to explore. Now, I get really bored with all that, so this morning I went off alone to wander round and pass some time, and I got a little lost, but I found this cave which I decided to explore."  
  
Gandalf and Elrond were listening intently.  
  
"And I was walking along, minding my own business, when suddenly everything turns bright and I find myself here."  
  
"So you came through a cave?" Gandalf asked.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Did you experience any strange feelings, or see anything strange?"  
  
"Well, no, not really. I mean, I nearly had a heart-attack when I realised I couldn"t just step through the cave and go back. I mean, first I get myself lost in the jungle, then I step into a total other world, and the first welcome I get is some native trying to attack me." Adriana frowned at the memory.  
  
"Ah, yes." Elrond said. "That was a man, from one of the tribes scattered in these parts. They seldom come over the mountains, but when they do they can be trouble. It was bad luck for you to run into one of them."  
  
Adriana smiled sheepishly. "Well, it was more deliberate than that. I tried to ask him where I was and he turned on me."  
  
"In that case you'll know not to approach forest-men again" Gandalf said.  
  
"So, what's this Middle-Earth thing?" Adriana asked.  
  
"For that I will show you a map." Elrond said, and he got up and went over to an alcove in the wall, where he took out a large sheet of parchment. He returned and spread it out on the table, so that Adriana could look over it.  
  
It showed a section of land, with the north and west parts marked with names and mountains. The east of the map was bare, as was the south, with just the coast outlined. The far west of the map showed only sea.  
  
"We are here." Elrond said, touching a part of the map next to a mountain range marked, "Misty Mountains"  
  
"What's over the sea?" Adriana enquired.  
  
"The Undying Lands" Elrond said, his voice low, as if thinking of something far away. "Only the Eldar race can reach them now."  
  
"Eldar race?"  
  
"The Elves, because we are the firstborn children of this world. But you need not know such things. They would only confuse you. Middle-Earth is where we live. The Elves and Men, and Halflings, and Ents, and many evil things we shall not speak of here."  
  
"What are Halflings? And Ents?" Adriana was for once interested in culture.  
  
"They are creatures of Middle-Earth" Gandalf said.  
  
"What, like animals? Horses and dogs and cats?"  
  
Gandalf smiled behind his beard. "No, not animals! These creatures we speak of are intelligent, they talk and sing and laugh just as we do!"  
  
Adriana was starting to feel a little overcome with all the information she was getting.  
  
"Where I come from there are only men and women. We are the intelligent race. We build the cities and start the wars, we wipe out species and forests to grow crops and better our own existence. We're not very nice, I suppose."  
  
"So you live in the Age of Men" Elrond mused. "But I am slipping back into legend. Right now we need to decide what to do with you. Gandalf, what do you know of this cave that Lady Adriana came through?"  
  
"I know nothing of it" Gandalf said. "I knew it existed, but always thought it just a cave. Now I feel I must go there and look into it myself. You say you cannot return through it, Adriana, but I am a wizard, and I may see things you cannot"  
  
"I guess." the girl allowed. "But what am I supposed to do while you do that? I don't know any of your ways or customs, I don't know what you do for fun, or to relax! I could be here for some time and I don't want to be a burden..."  
  
"I will make rooms ready for you" Elrond said. "And send one of my people to you. You may ask them anything you wish." Here he stopped and looked at the girl. "I will also have clothing brought to you, for, as you say, you may be here some time."  
  
"Thank you" Adriana said. "It's really good of you to help me like this."  
  
Elrond stood and bowed. "It is a custom of the Elves to make a guest welcome. Especially one as unusual as yourself."  
  
The Lord turned and left the room, leaving Gandalf and Adriana alone. The wizard looked at the girl.  
  
"Tell me, have you ever used a sword to fight?"  
  
Adriana laughed. "That's a little outdated! If anyone wanted to fight they'd use a gun!"  
  
Gandalf frowned. "A gun?"  
  
"Oh, no, that's another thing from my world! Never mind. But no, I've never learned to swordfight"  
  
"Hmm" Gandalf pursed his lips. "Perhaps you should?"  
  
A/N: That chapter was a little haphazard. I mean, imagine all the things you could say about modern technology to someone from Middle-Earth! And all there'd be to learn about their history (i.e. everything in The Silmarillion). But the next chapter will get back to the story proper, with only a few detours through explanations, I think. 


	6. An Unfolding Mystery

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: Adriana took a walk in the jungle and stepped through a gate into Middle-Earth. She met with Legolas and he took her to Rivendell, where Gandalf put a spell on her to make her language understandable. Lessons have begun to teach her how archery and swordsmanship.  
  
  
  
Another Place – An Unfolding Mystery  
  
  
  
Adriana stepped into the Great Hall at Rivendell, and immediately wished she hadn't. The place went silent; she could feel all eyes on her and, worst of all, a blush was starting to creep into her face.  
  
Oh, God She thought as she was studied by about a hundred pairs of eyes. Maybe if you walk back out they'll stop staring…Actually, running would be better…  
  
Her leg muscles went taut in preparation to bolt, when a masculine hand took her arm, and a tall figure leant down to whisper in her ear.  
  
"This way, Lady Adriana." It was Legolas, and Adriana breathed a sigh of relief as the Elves started talking again amongst themselves as she was led to Lord Elrond's high table.  
  
"Why were they all staring at me?!" She whispered to Legolas - very quietly - because she knew about the Elves' brilliant hearing.  
  
The Prince didn't seem to sense her alarm and growing paranoia, he just smiled down at her. "You look so much like an Elf tonight, my Lady. And amongst the most radiant in the room."  
  
Adriana raised an eyebrow as if to say "Yeah, ok," but she was secretly flattered. That was probably the best compliment she'd ever got off anyone, and coming from a male made it extra strange.  
  
They sat together at Elrond's table after being greeted by the Lord and his people. They all said the same thing; that Adriana looked so Elven in the dress she was wearing, and in the way her hair had been braided, but that Elves didn't usually have her extreme colourings of pale skin against jet-black hair.  
  
All she could do was to say "Thank you" and hope they stopped before she got an inflated ego. In the end she put it down to politeness on their part, and perhaps a slight eccentricity to this strange people of a different world.  
  
The dinner passed wonderfully, as most did in those parts, with wine, laughter and song flowing freely, and all the guests enjoying themselves. Adriana never did figure out how many people lived at Rivendell – there seemed to be an ever-changing gathering of people at the dinners, and there was always a new face to greet on the corridors or in the gardens. It was like a miniature city, with everyone occupied with some task or another to make the system work.  
  
After the meal, Adriana was leaving the hall with the rest of the guests, when she was stopped by Gandalf.  
  
"Adriana" The old wizard said to get her attention, and she was glad as always that he dropped the formality the Elves used.  
  
"Yeah?" She asked, stepping into the corridor with him.  
  
"We must talk." He said. "Immediately. Will you accompany me to the library?"  
  
"Erm, sure." Adriana agreed. Gandalf's mood was one of haste, and the girl had heard enough whispered rumours about him to know to wonder about him. Also, he'd been very kind to her since she arrived.  
  
Gandalf now led the way to the old library, walking so quickly that Adriana had to jog sometimes to keep up.  
  
"What's so important?" She asked breathlessly, suddenly remembering why she always wore trousers as the dress made it difficult for her to run.  
  
"A matter I need to discuss with you, but of which you must breathe a word to nobody!" He replied, his voice stronger than she'd ever heard it, and more frantic.  
  
By the time they reached the right door, Adriana could feel her heart racing with anticipation of what she was about to hear. Gandalf's mood had caused worry to stir within her, but also a sort of excitement at something out of the ordinary. They stepped through the door into the darkened room, which soon became light due to a blue glowing radiating from Gandalf's staff. He motioned for her to sit, and joined her at a low table.  
  
The library of Rivendell was one of the oldest parts of the house, filled with volumes so ancient some were cracked and mouldering, having not been read in years. A sort of musty smell filled the air, but it was not unpleasant, and conjured up images of many silent hours spent pouring over books containing fantastic tales. Adriana was an avid reader, and would have loved to spend some time there, but some of the Elvish the books were written in was indecipherable to all but the most learned scholars.  
  
As it was, Gandalf now leaned forwards, so that their faces were only inches apart. His voice was low and secretive, as he told her what he had seen.  
  
"As you know, two days ago I went to visit the cave through which you came, to see if I could find out how it worked, and if possible, a way to send you home. At first I could see nothing, but after trying many spells and charms I happened upon an ancient one that jumped from my memory. It is a charm to open the gates upon dark things. However, the gates were said to be lost for many thousands of years before this time."  
  
The shadows in the room grew deeper, and to Adriana it appeared that the light flickered slightly.  
  
"It seems - though there is no plausible explanation that I can see – that these gates have been opened by someone or something, and a portal was made from your world to Middle-Earth. It was only open for a moment, and once closed again was sealed as tightly shut as ever, but it was open at the exact moment you stepped into it!"  
  
"That's some coincidence…" Adriana managed.  
  
"Ah, but therein lies the question!" Gandalf said, sitting back now in his chair. "Was it coincidence, or did someone mean for you to come here, now. And if so, why?"  
  
Adriana thought for a moment. "You said that the gate was one to dark things, and I know my Earth may not be great, but it's not that bad!"  
  
Gandalf nodded. "Yes, I realised this, so after much thought I decided to consult one of my order."  
  
"Order?"  
  
"The order of Wizards that resides here in Middle-Earth. He is the head of the order, and has been travelling in these parts recently, so it took only a few hours for me to find him with the help of my eagle friends. I told him your tale, and showed him the cave, and together we discovered something most strange!"  
  
Adriana was intrigued. "What did you find?" She asked eagerly.  
  
Gandalf took on a tone of a teacher lecturing a student. "When magic is used, in certain forms, it leaves a trace…and from that trace a practiced person of the Arts can tell what sort of spell was cast, and on occasion, who it was that cast it."  
  
Adriana held her breath as Gandalf paused before continuing. The room had definitely grown cold.  
  
"There were two spells placed on the cave around the time you came through it. One just before you did, and one some eight days before. The one eight days previously was a spell of a nature to open the gateway into the dark realm I mentioned, that which is outside this world. Indeed, outside worlds as we know them. It is the Realm which was spoken of in legend as the place where unknown dark things dwelt."  
  
"So someone was trying to send something evil into Middle-Earth?" Adriana suggested.  
  
"It seems so" Gandalf agreed. "I cannot say who cast the spell, only that it was done from Middle-Earth, and that whoever did it covered their tracks well."  
  
"What about the spell that made me come through?"  
  
Gandalf's face took on a look of excitement, or so Adriana thought. Of course it could just have been the flickering light, and the old wizard could have been as calm as ever.  
  
"That was cast by a completely different person! But one also from Middle-Earth!"  
  
Adriana felt her heart fluttering. "But why would they send me? And how could they know it would be me at all? Or is it all just a coincidence, and they were really trying to open a gate to somewhere else?"  
  
"That I cannot know for sure, not without a little more detective work, but I can say that the second spellcaster was definitely trying to reach your world, and no other. The only way I can see now is to try and find this stranger, and discern their motives."  
  
"So this is all a bit of a mystery then." Adriana mused.  
  
"Yes" Said Gandalf.  
  
"Hmm…But what about the evil things you said came through? I thought the woods were pretty well guarded. I mean, I know I don't know a lot about Middle-Earth or Elves, but it seems they'd noticed if something from an utterly evil place stepped into their patch."  
  
"Ah, then you know more about Elves than you realise!" Gandalf exclaimed. "For you have guessed at something rooted in the truth. The Elder Elves do indeed possess skills to know when evil is near, but here we have another mystery! It seems that whatever it was that came through the gate before you did vanished into thin air! It has left no trace, and no trail to follow!"  
  
"So what now?" Adriana wanted to know.  
  
"This is where I need to ask you a very difficult question." The wizard said. "I have consulted with the Head of my Order, and also with Lord Elrond, and we have decided on the best course of action. It concerns you greatly however, and will have massive consequences for you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I wish to close the gateway, so that no more evil can come through from the Dark Realm." Gandalf explained. "And that means that you may never return home."  
  
Adriana's breath caught in her throat. "Never?"  
  
"The spell I must use is so strong that there is no stronger one to break it. Until such time as one is created, you may not return to your world."  
  
Adriana went numb. She could be stuck here forever!  
  
It's such a beautiful world She thought. And I've seen only the tiniest bit of it. There are so many things I want to do here, and so many creatures of myth I want to see. But my mum and dad…  
  
"Just how evil is this thing that came through?" She asked quietly.  
  
"It could be anything." Gandalf said. "And more could come. The Dark Realm holds the power to destroy this world."  
  
I'll never see them again…Never go to town with my friends…Never sit in a classroom and which I was elsewhere…Never ride in a car or sit in a plane or turn on the tv to watch some cheap made-for-tv film…But I'm just one life, and these people are so, magical!  
  
"Close it." She whispered. "I'll live here."  
  
After some moments of studying her face, Gandalf got up and left her to sit with her thoughts, but not before thanking her.  
  
"For you have given your one chance of return for the good of a world, and if that proves vital in the fate of Arda, it shall never forget."  
  
Adriana sat, her eyes not focusing on the forgotten volumes in front of her, contemplating her fate, and the fate of others. She'd never get to say goodbye to anyone that she loved, and the reality suddenly hit her. In all the time she'd been in Rivendell she'd not once regretted not being with her family, but now she strongly regretted the pain her disappearance would cause.  
  
She almost smiled at the thought of the thousands of pounds which would be spent on the manhunt that would inevitably follow her parent's call to the British Embassy in Peru, but then her face fell as she imagined their grief at her loss.  
  
Oh, damn  
  
She sighed as the sun began to rise, shedding a dusty orange light on the spines of the books.  
  
It could only happen to me. Anyway, if I did get back, nobody'd believe me. Maybe I'm better off here, where people at least don't think I'm crazy for talking about parallel universes  
  
If she was wearing a watch, Adriana would have known that it was about 8am when the soft knock came at the library door.  
  
"Lady Adriana?" Legolas startled the girl out of her reverie.  
  
"Oh, hey" She said, regaining her composure in front of the Elven Prince.  
  
He frowned slightly, nothing the dazed look on her face. "Are you alright, my Lady? You look very pale. And may I ask what you are doing in the library at this hour, and in your gown at that! I was told you hadn't returned to your rooms last night…"  
  
"Erm, I was with Gandalf." She managed to reply, although inside she still felt like someone watching the scene from afar. "We were…talking until late."  
  
"Ah. Well, I have come to see if you are ready for another archery lesson, but if you are not we can continue another time." He was obviously worried about her health. Adriana had noticed that women around here were treated as delicate things, even though she'd felt far from delicate up until that moment.  
  
"No, I'm ok" She told the Elf. "Just give me a minute to change and I'll meet you in the gardens."  
  
Legolas nodded and watched as she left the library and headed towards her own rooms. She was in no mood to go outside or exert energy on anything apart from thought, but then that was just what she wanted to stop. Thought. It wasn't good to dwell on things you knew could tear you up inside…  
  
  
  
A/N: I've added the dark realm thing which isn't mentioned in the books, but I'll try and keep it all in theme. Also, I don't know if there actually is a British Embassy in Peru. I think there's one in most places though. Please review!! 


	7. Dreams

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien, Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: Adriana agreed to let Gandalf close the gate back to her world, for the good of Middle-Earth.  
  
  
  
Another Place – Dreams  
  
Adriana stumbled through the next day like someone just woken up from a coma. The realisation that she was never going home had hit her like a ton of bricks, and her chest felt so tight her heart could come bursting out at any moment and she wouldn't be surprised. She could have written a thousand pages on what she was feeling right then, but when Legolas asked, she got it down to just one word.  
  
"Gutted."  
  
"What is that, my Lady?" The tall Elf asked, the look of concern still on his face.  
  
Adriana had met the Prince in the gardens, as she said she would, but they hadn't got as far as drawing their bows when Legolas had looked pointedly at her.  
  
"How do you feel?" He had asked, noting her pale complexion and distant gaze. Now she had to explain herself once again.  
  
"I don't know if I can talk about it." She sighed, knowing that this was like some sort of government secret you didn't tell the population about, even though Gandalf had said nothing about keeping quiet. Maybe it was instinct…  
  
"But I feel like my world's collapsed" She continued. "And I guess I a way, it has."  
  
Legolas had come to stand by her side, and he moved her to sit down on a nearby stone bench.  
  
"What do you mean, Lady Adriana?"  
  
Again the girl sighed, and rested her chin in her hands, not able to keep her head up any more.  
  
"Gandalf says that I can't go home. The gate I came through has to be shut, and it can't ever be opened again." She looked at the Elf. "Middle- Earth is amazing and everything…but I'm never going to see my family or friends again." She smiled wryly. "It sorta makes your head spin."  
  
Legolas's face had turned to one of the deepest shock and concern. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner! You shouldn't be out here, when your heart it in such turmoil!" He stood up, still managing to remain graceful in his haste. "I shall accompany you inside, and you shall rest, and grieve as you wish."  
  
Adriana looked at him. "What good's that going to do?" She asked. "I don't need to sit in a room all day like some invalid, I need something to take my mind off it!"  
  
"But wouldn't you rather remember your land, and continue your lessons when you feel stronger?"  
  
"Don't you mean continue my life when I feel stronger? I can't just lock myself away, I'll only get depressed. Look, it's really nice that you want to help me and everything, but can we please just do archery as normal? I know I've made the right decision, and there's nothing I can do about it now."  
  
Legolas frowned slightly. "Decision?"  
  
Oh, way to go, you fool! Adriana thought, mentally pinching herself. You weren't going to tell him, remember?!  
  
"About carrying on with things." She covered. "I want to go on as normal."  
  
Legolas looked her for a moment, but whether out of suspicion or concern, Adriana couldn't tell.  
  
"Very well." He said at length. "Let us begin."  
  
With that, he took her over to a different range from the ones they'd been using so far. The distance from here to the target was almost 100m, but Adriana handled it well, hitting the target right away, and improving her aim with each shot. She fired arrow after arrow at Legolas' instruction until the sky darkened, and night was upon them.  
  
Adriana jolted awake the next morning by the worst dream she'd ever had. Something big and dark and overwhelmingly evil was chasing her in a pitch- black maze. She didn't know the way out, and she was afraid to run headfirst into a wall, but the terror from the creature drove her on. It seemed to her, when she glanced back over her shoulder, that the thing had two burning red eyes set high in it's head, but wore a great iron collar round it's neck, the chain-link leash trailing along behind it with an awful scraping sound.  
  
Suddenly she'd found herself in a large room, with walls on all sides. The only entrance –and exit- was blocked by her pursuer. The monster's breath was thick with centuries of deep, musty places, and foul, rotten flesh as it crept closer, and closer. There was nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide, and Adriana had seen her fate written in the bloodshot eyes that burned into her very soul.  
  
The sweet air of Rivendell was a welcome release, and Adriana gulped it in, her frantic eyes searching wildly for the nightmare demon.  
  
Oh, shit, oh god… She thought. It was just a dream, just a dream But even as she said thought this, a part of her mind was telling her it was real. Some dreams are so vivid they seem like real life, but then there are those which you hear of but never experience yourself. Those which seem not like real life, but like life which is to come.  
  
A shudder ran through the girl's body as the feeling of premonition coursed over her. There was a word for this, which was trying to surface in her muddled brain. Not deja-vu, but close.  
  
"Presque-vu."  
  
That was it. Presque-vu. Almost seen.  
  
I must be going crazy She thought, sitting up in the sweat-dampened sheets.  
  
I've not had nightmares like that since I was about 5!  
  
The sun had only just appeared over the eastern horizon, but Adriana knew that she wouldn't get back to sleep, and dressed in the soft trousers, shirt and boots which the Elves had provided. They fit well, and were warm against her skin, but kept her cool when she was exercising.  
  
Adriana had found that she didn't have to use her door to get from her room to other parts of Rivendell. There was a perfectly good balcony just waiting to be jumped off, and this is what she did now, being careful to be quiet so as not to wake anyone.  
  
Dew still clung to the leaves on flowering trees and bushes as she walked through what would hear be called "undergrowth," but what back home would probably be called an ornamental flower garden. The scent of just-opening blossom filled the air, and soon dispelled the memory of dark things with sharp teeth.  
  
Adriana was headed for a day-room near the front of the house, where she normally ate breakfast while watching the valley's waterfalls and animal life, but she stopped when she heard voices somewhere to her left.  
  
Standing as still as possible, she strained her ears, and managed to pick up some of the conversation.  
  
"…sure you need to do this?" An Elven voice, soft and deep.  
  
"Completely." An older man replied. "If we don't act now, something else could come through."  
  
Adriana's heart nearly stopped. They were talking about the gate.  
  
"And you can do it alone?" The first voice said.  
  
"I have Saruman to aid me." Said the second. "Together we will be able to close the pathway."  
  
"What about the girl?"  
  
"With your agreement she will remain here. I sense something about her…I think she should continue with her training, and learn the ways of the people's of Middle-Earth. Teach her all you can."  
  
"What do you know, Mithrandir?" The first voice said.  
  
So it's Gandalf! Adriana exclaimed inwardly.  
  
"I do not know for sure, not yet, but I think the matter I told you of when I returned from my travels may have something to do with it."  
  
Huh?  
  
"I see." Came the first voice. "Then I think what you propose to do is the right course of action. I bid you farewell, and good luck, Mithrandir. May the stars shine on your journey!"  
  
Adriana crouched silently down as Lord Elrond strode past, entering his house by a wide door in the southern wall. After waiting a good minute, listening all the time for someone approaching, she got to her feet and went back to her room, exiting this time by the ornate door.  
  
By the time she got to the day-room, Elrond was there waiting for her.  
  
"Good morning, Lord Elrond." She said, having decided it was best to stick to the polite formalities the Elves used.  
  
"Good morning, Lady Adriana" The lord said, motioning for her to join him at the breakfast table. "There is something I wish to tell you."  
  
Adriana waited. He hadn't seen her in the garden, of that much she was sure. But had he heard her? She wasn't too sure just how good an Elf's hearing was.  
  
"Mithrandir departed this morning to go on an urgent errand, one which I believe he told you about two nights ago."  
  
Adriana nodded. "Closing the gate."  
  
"Yes." Elrond agreed. "It is a noble thing to sacrifice the sight of your world for another, of which you know little." He now said. "And I wish for that not to be the case any longer. Starting today, you will be taught everything there is to know about the peoples of Middle Earth, their history, and all the lore connected with them. You will learn the languages they speak, the customs they hold, and the way they live. It will take time, for you must know much, but by the end of it you will have the skills to travel anywhere in this land with as much skill and safety as one of my people."  
  
"So, you'll teach me how to survive in the wild?"  
  
Elrond smiled. "That is correct. And also to survive the people who live there."  
  
Sorta like the Guides then Adriana mused.  
  
"That sounds pretty cool." She said at last. "But, why do you want me to know all that stuff? Unless I'm going to go anywhere I won't need it."  
  
"Surely you want to see some of the world you've chosen to protect?" Elrond said.  
  
"Well, if by protect you mean sitting by while someone else does all the work, then yeah, I guess I do, but if I go anywhere won't one of your people be going with me?"  
  
Elrond smiled again, and Adriana felt for the umpteenth time since she'd got here that she was definitely the younger person in the room.  
  
"Who knows what the future may bring?" He stated simply. Adriana nodded, and the two turned to breakfast, Adriana deep in thought about what she'd seen that morning, and Elrond studying the girl whose fate was –through the power of some outside influence- somehow mingled with that of Middle-Earth.  
  
  
  
A/N: Hmm…wonder where this is headed? I think I know, but suggestions would be REALLY helpful. Please give feedback!! 


	8. Puzzles and Whispered Secrets

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkie. Adriana is mine.  
  
Scene: Adriana gave up her only way home, to save Middle Earth from dark creatures…but one already managed to come through…  
  
  
  
Another Place – Puzzles and Whispered Secrets  
  
  
  
Adriana had waited - not so patiently – for Gandalf's return. She spent much of her time pacing the corridors, or practicing her sword fighting skills to burn off some energy. There were so many thoughts rushing round in her head she didn't know what to do. The bad thing was that she didn't know if she could consult with Gandalf about them or not.  
  
Firstly, there was the question of what she was going to do now. Elrond had partly solved that by planning her future for the next year, but what happened after that? Would she have to get a job or something? The fact she'd never see home again had sunk in, and Adriana knew that she could accept it. After all, would you rather stay at home, living a normal life, or see things which would make even the most imaginative fantasy writer shake their head?  
  
Then there was the issue of what she'd overheard in the garden the morning Gandalf had left. She remembered his words perfectly… "I sense something about her…" That could mean anything, but to Adriana's overloaded mind it conjured up images of psychic powers and weird magic. She shook her head - that was just silly.  
  
And another thing about Elrond's conversation with Gandalf. They'd mentioned some matter of discussion, something that Gandalf had related to the Elven Lord. At the time Adriana had wondered about it, and she still was now. It seemed to be important, and the girl's curiosity was sparked. She knew, however, that eavesdropping, spying, or any other form of intruding into someone's privacy was an act you just didn't do.  
  
Damn morals! She thought, swinging the light sword through a practised arc. If I wasn't so nice I'd be over in Elrond's rooms going through his underwear drawer. Well, if they don't want to tell me anything, even if it concerns me, I guess that's their problem if anything bad comes of it!  
  
So Adriana resolved to go on with her studies like the Lord wished, and learn as much about this strange place as she could. After all, she was going to be here some time, and she planned to get as much out of it as possible.  
  
"Lady Adriana?" An Elf came striding across the grass towards her. Legolas.  
  
"Oh, hey" She said, turning to greet him.  
  
"How long have you been out here?" Legolas asked, looking up at the sky. Clouds were gathering above the valley cliffs as the sun sank below the horizon.  
  
"Erm, a few hours, I think." The girl replied. In truth, she'd been in the garden since that morning, but had lost track of time.  
  
"You should come inside and rest." Legolas said, studying her damp- glistening arms. "A storm is coming."  
  
"Really?" Adriana looked up. She liked storms, and would rather have stayed outside to watch this one, but, realising how much fat she'd probably just sweated off, she figured it was about time to freshen up. "I'd better come inside then."  
  
Legolas led the way back into the house, and when they were outside her room, he turned to Adriana.  
  
"My Lady, I hope you do not mind my asking, but over the past few days you've looked troubled. Please, do not feel obliged to tell me if you do not wish, but if there is anything I can do to help, tell me."  
  
Adriana smiled. He was so nice, and she was disappointed she couldn't take him up on his offer.  
  
"I'm sorry, Legolas." She said instead. "But I can't talk about it. I don't even know about it myself." She sighed. "There's so much I don't know, but Elrond says he wants me to learn." She looked at the taller Elf. "I've been thinking a lot today, and I've made up my mind about a lot of things, so hopefully you'll find me a little more happy in future."  
  
Legolas looked a little suspicious, but nodded. "Very well. I hope whatever is troubling you sorts itself out."  
  
"Thanks." Adriana said, and opened the door to her room. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"  
  
Legolas nodded again, bowed slightly, and left back down the corridor.  
  
The storm hit around 8pm, and continued through the night. Adriana sat at her balcony to watch as the skies were rent with crackling flame, and great drums beat a death march above the clouds. Rain came down in sheets, and torrents of water spilled into the valley from the land above. At the height of the storm, Adriana thought that Rivendell might flood, but the old house was built well, with all weather in mind, and its bridges still rose over the cascading and flooding streams.  
  
Dawn came late the next day, but with it was a freshness Adriana hadn't felt before, not even in this world. As she made her way towards the day- room, the Elven conversation was of a lifted shadow, and of a coming summer which would be warm and sweet.  
  
"Ah…" Lord Elrond sighed when he saw her. "Can you not smell life in the air?"  
  
"I don't know" The girl replied. "I thought I could smell life before, but today is even better."  
  
The Lord looked at her. "Of course! When you came the land was darker than normal, but the storm has cleared the air. You are seeing Rivendell on a typical day."  
  
"Then Rivendell must be some place…" Adriana could definitely see the difference. Everything looked more colourful, somehow. She wondered if the shadow had anything to do with her coming.  
  
Elrond was looking to the East, towards the Misty Mountains. He didn't say anything, and Adriana didn't ask, but she wasn't surprised when later that day Gandalf arrived.  
  
He and the Lord disappeared for almost two hours, and Adriana was thinking they were never going to reappear, when the old wizard came to her room.  
  
"How are you feeling, Adriana?" He asked once she'd let him in.  
  
"I'm good." She replied. "I feel better today than I have since I came here, though"  
  
"Yes, I thought that might be the case. I closed the gate last night, after wrestling with the magic upon it for some days."  
  
"So that storm was you?" Adriana was surprised. She'd only had one small demonstration of magic so far – when Gandalf had changed her speech – and she'd never imagined it could be so powerful.  
  
"Yes. Myself and Saruman."  
  
Saruman…Gandalf mentioned him to Elrond  
  
"Who's Saruman?" She asked, stumbling slightly over the strange syllables.  
  
"He is the leader of my order. He's a very powerful wizard, but even so, it took us both to shut the gate."  
  
"So do you know who opened it yet?"  
  
"No" Gandalf said. "But it has to have been someone of immense power. Two people, even, since one brought the evil creature, and one brought you."  
  
Adriana smiled. How does he know I'm not the evil creature? She wondered.  
  
"So, what now?"  
  
"Now, my child, you turn to your studies. I shall investigate into this creature, and also the gate, but you must learn all you can."  
  
Adriana winced at being called "child," but let it go. There was just one thing she wanted to ask.  
  
"I've already asked Lord Elrond this, and you'll probably give me the same answer, but I really don't get it. I can see how you might want me to know a little about Middle Earth. I know that I do want to, just because I'm gonna be spending the rest of my life here, but somehow I get the idea that's not the whole reason with you guys. I mean, it seems to me like you have your own reasons for wanting me to know so much, but you don't want to tell me. If you don't think I'll understand, well, I'm smart so I will, and if you don't want to tell me because you think it might change my mind about something, then I can promise you now that it won't…" She trailed off, watching the wizard's reaction closely.  
  
His face was grave. "You are right to suspect we have other reasons for your studies, but why we cannot tell you is not because you wouldn't understand, or because it would alter your resolve. If we were to tell you the truth behind the matter, your life would be in danger. Our lives would be in danger, as would the lives of everything in Middle Earth. You may burn to know, but please be satisfied that you will find out in due course. For now, you must learn. Believe me when I say that it will be of great help to you later on. And do not suspect, or come to your own conclusions, for these will only cloud your judgement when you do hear the whole truth. Know that you will be looked after here, and your every wish will be taken care of, but you must not think any more about how you came here, or why."  
  
Adriana nodded her assent. "Ok."  
  
The wizard turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Gandalf?" He paused. "Thanks for being truthful. I feel a lot better now"  
  
Gandalf smiled slightly through his beard, bowed, and left the room. Adriana sighed, she had to do what the wizard said, and she was going to make herself be content with it.  
  
Adriana hadn't seen Legolas for a few days, when she unexpectedly ran into him in one of Rivendell's many corridors.  
  
"Hey there!" She greeted him. "Where've you been?"  
  
"I am sorry, my Lady, if I have been neglecting you, but news came from the forest of Mirkwood, which is my home, bidding me to return there as soon as possible."  
  
"Oh, why?" Adriana thought maybe some emergency meant he needed to be there.  
  
"There is trouble on the borders of my Kingdom, and my father wished me to be there to help with keeping the peace. I could not leave Rivendell until my business here was done, and I completed it yesterday. I was going to come and find you presently, to tell you, and to say goodbye. I must depart before sunset."  
  
"Oh…" Adriana's face fell. "How long will you be gone for?"  
  
Legolas looked gloomy. "Mirkwood is my home, and I was but visiting Elrond's house, so it is unlikely I shall return unless business calls me hither."  
  
"So, it really is goodbye then?"  
  
"Yes, my Lady. But I shall write to you, in the hopes that you will write back, and tell me of your progress."  
  
Adriana smiled. "Of course! Where are you headed now?"  
  
"To take my leave of the Lord, then I will be gone. Go to the front bridge, and I will meet you there before long."  
  
Adriana did as she was asked, and sure enough, Legolas came riding up on a tall white horse not ten minutes later. He dismounted, and took her hand in his.  
  
"It has been a pleasure knowing you, Lady Adriana" He said, bending and kissing her fingers. "I am sorry that I must leave, and I hope you'll grant me and audience sometime in the future."  
  
"Anytime." Adriana said, and hugged him, which seemed to startle the Elf. She pulled back. "Have a safe journey."  
  
"Thank you. Farewell." He mounted once again, and set off with a light clipping of hooves over the bridge. Adriana noted that he travelled alone, whereas most of Elrond's people seemed to travel in pairs on long trips. Also, there was a sense of urgency about him. Whatever was going on back in Mirkwood, it must mean some risk to the Elves living there.  
  
A thought of the "dark creature" unleashed through the gate sprang to mind.  
  
You're assuming again, Adriana The little voice in her head chided. That's exactly what Gandalf said not to do!  
  
With that, she returned to the house, her heart heavy once again at losing a friend. The only real one she'd made so far, in fact, unless you counted Gandalf. Living here promised to be a difficult adjustment.  
  
  
  
A/N: Title similar to e-mail address?? Maybe! About to head in a slightly different direction. Chapter after next, methinks. Please RnR! 


	9. Jump

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine. I guess Felvrin is too.  
  
  
  
One Year Later…  
  
The tall, dark-haired Elf made his way through the valley of Rivendell, going slowly to savour the fresh air, and gentle breeze.  
  
Felvrin had been away from the Last Homely House for over almost three months, gathering news of the land over the Misty Mountains. The way had been dangerous, as Orcs were abroad, and the mountain pass was practically closed to all but the most skilled. That was why he had been chosen. He was a messenger of Elrond's House, and knew the roads well between the valley and Mirkwood. He'd taken note of the movement of Orcs around Isengard, and seen that the great tower had been changed into a dark place in recent times. But then, many places in Middle Earth were succumbing to a darker light.  
  
He was glad to be back in his home. The flowers here were so perfect, and the water was so clear and sweet. He inhaled deeply, letting the unsullied air fill his lungs, and raise his spirits.  
  
"BOO!"  
  
"Argh!" Felvrin exclaimed, spinning round to face whatever had startled him so badly. A small human woman stood there, barely out of childhood, his sharp eyes told him.  
  
Adriana!  
  
"Adriana!" Recovered from the shock, he threw his arms around the girl who'd jumped out at him, as if from nowhere.  
  
"Felvrin! It's so good to see you!" The girl cried, returning the hug. "I thought you'd never get back!"  
  
The Elf laughed musically. "So did I, but here I am!" He pulled back, and looked his friend up and down. "Have you grown? You look older than when I left. And you must have been practising, no-one can sneak up on me like that!"  
  
Adriana grinned widely. "I have been practising! And I've had the best teachers. But come on, you must be knackered, you'd better get to the house and see Elrond."  
  
"Knackered?"  
  
"Never mind, come on!" Adriana took Felvrin's hand, and led him quickly up the rocky slopes to the front bridge leading into Rivendell's main courtyard. Their approach had been seen, and a guard was waiting to take the scout to the Lord's Hall.  
  
"Welcome back, Felvrin!" The guard said happily, smiling at the returning wanderer. "Lord Elrond is expecting you."  
  
"And I have much to impart to impart to him." Felvrin said.  
  
"Well, I guess this is where I say bye" Adriana sighed. "I bet you'll be in with Elrond for a good few days…come and call for me when you have time, ok?"  
  
"Of course." Felvrin bowed slightly. "We have to catch up!"  
  
Adriana grinned again, and watched the two tall Elves enter the house.  
  
The girl felt better than she had done in a while. When Legolas left for Mirkwood, she thought that she'd be treated as an outcast. After all, he was the only real friend she'd made in the couple of weeks she'd been there. She was quite surprised when Elves started coming looking for her and offering her help with different things…until she realised it was probably all part of Elrond's education system. There was also a flavour in the air, and it wasn't a good one. A black cloud hung over Adriana's heart that nothing could shift. She put it down to grief for her lost home, and pushed it aside.  
  
One month on from Legolas' departure, she had; a history teacher, a language teacher, a writing teacher (would you believe it?), an etiquette teacher (which offended her at first, but then she noticed the way she swore casually and figured she needed it) an archery teacher, sword fighting teacher, riding teacher, survival teacher, and someone even came round to instruct her on what clothes to wear when, how to do her hair, and what colours of make-up best suited her complexion.  
  
It was like being famous. Everyone knew her name, and at first she was something of a curiosity. People she didn't know would come up and talk to her, trying to make her feel at home, or just trying to get some interesting story out of her. That soon wore off, however, as she began to be assimilated into the Elven way of life. She could now name every single constellation in the sky – by their Elven names of course –, she could ride a horse better than any cross-country competitor she'd ever seen. When did you see one of them do the course without a saddle? She could hit any archery target you could find, beat half the Elves in the place in a swordfight, light a fire from a couple of twigs, and dozens of other things that would be completely useless back home, but which were essential to life in Middle Earth.  
  
Over the months she'd noticed changes not only in the way she saw the world, (she'd turned from a complete cynic to someone who saw the beauty in nature every time she woke up in a morning) but she'd also noticed changes physically. She didn't have an ounce of fat on her. Gone was the cellulite (which she could see even if no one else could) and here was the taut muscle and sleek skin, which showed the hours she'd put in every day practising fighting and riding.  
  
Gandalf had left soon after Legolas, speaking of business he had far away. Adriana had broken her vow not to stick her nose in where it was uninvited, and had overheard the wizard mumbling about a "traitor Saruman." She'd soon forgotten it though, as her workload had increased. There was so much to learn, and seemingly so little time.  
  
With all that had been going on, she'd not thought of home a lot, but every now and again she'd feel a pang. Like if she looked up at the sky and saw Orion, she'd remember how her father had pointed it out to her when she was little, and they were in Africa where the sky was clear from smog or clouds. An old Elf had pointed it out to her again, and the memories had come flooding back.  
  
Adriana went out to the garden to walk among the trees, and Felvrin went to Elrond's Hall to discuss what he'd seen with the Lord. At the same time, a group of four were setting out into the unknown. The Hobbits from The Shire, including the Ringbearer, had begun the first leg of their journey. The shadow on Adriana's heart grew stronger that morning, though she did not know why.  
  
A/N: So much narrative! I promise the next chapter will have some more action! Please RnR!! 


	10. Returns and Arrivals

Disclaimer: All LOTR characters belong to Tolkien. Adriana is mine. I guess Felvrin is too.  
  
Scene: One year later, a scout returns to tell Elrond of the movement of Orcs. The Ringbearer sets out…  
  
  
  
Another Place – Returns and Arrivals  
  
  
  
"So, what happened?" Adriana asked Felvrin later that day. The tall Elf looked down at her, then took her arm and began to usher her into a doorway.  
  
"Hey, what are you…?"  
  
"Shh…" He hushed her gently. "I'll tell you in here."  
  
They were in a room towards the back of Rivendell, where few people came during the day. They wouldn't be disturbed.  
  
"I told the Lord about the power in the East." Felvrin began.  
  
"What, Sauron?" During her studies, Adriana had learned the whole story about the forging of the One Ring, Sauron's use of it, the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, how Isildur took The Ring for himself and lost it in the end.  
  
"Yes, although I shall not utter that name, and you would do well not to, either. Lord Elrond seemed concerned, and he plans to call a council of all the leaders of Middle Earth, to discuss what to do."  
  
"Is it that bad?"  
  
"Yes!" Felvrin exclaimed. "If what Lord Elrond suspects is what I think he suspects, then The Ring has been found! That which was lost for centuries had been brought back from the mists of time, and now the Dark Lord's search for it widens!"  
  
"Oh. Crap." Adriana said. Felvrin looked at her, a little surprised as always at her free use of language.  
  
"Rumour has it that the Nazgul are abroad."  
  
"Really?" The girl shuddered involuntarily. Of course she knew what they were, and how bad they were, but she liked to think of herself as a strong individual, and one that didn't normally get scared by things people said. For the past few weeks, however, she'd felt a cloud gathering in the back of her mind, like some worry she'd forgotten about. Sometimes she felt as if she was being watched, but when she turned around there was no one there. She wondered just when the Nazgul had left Mordor.  
  
"So, when's this meeting gonna be?" She asked after a while.  
  
"It is not sure when all the leaders will arrive, but as soon as they do, they will gather."  
  
Adriana thought for a second. "You mean it's not sure when Gandalf will arrive."  
  
Felvrin nodded glumly. "Yes."  
  
Gandalf had been away for some time. The last Adriana had seen of him, he's been talking about Saruman being a traitor. She figured he'd gone off to have a word, as it were, but that was months ago. She'd been worried, but Elrond had told her Gandalf was perfectly capable of looking after himself. Adriana wasn't so sure.  
  
"Well, I guess all we can do now is wait." She said. Her friend nodded his agreement, and they both left the dim room.  
  
The weeks passed uneventfully for Rivendell. Life went on, archery practise continued, but there was an aura about the place. Since Felvrin's return, the Elves hadn't been as happy as usual. Their peace was interrupted by a shadow which seemed to darken the sunlight and damped the mood. Adriana especially was affected. She could no longer sleep at night, for fear of having nightmares. The giant red eye that seemed to follow her everywhere, and looked into her most private thoughts and innermost being. She'd woken up chilled to the bone, and had had to bury her face in the pillow to stifle a scream. The dream reminded her of the one she'd had almost a year ago, when some dark creature had been chasing her. The creature seemed different, but its motives were the same. It wanted to get her.  
  
Now she slept for a couple of hours at a time in the morning and afternoon, and kept an insomniac's vigil at night. She sat on her balcony, wrapped in a blanket to fend off the increasing cold as winter drew near. Felvrin had taken note of her unusual sleeping patterns, and had recommended that she see someone about it, maybe she should get a sleeping draught. She'd told him that she didn't want to be out of it if anything should happen. The Elf had frowned at her paranoia, but let her be.  
  
Unbeknownst to her, Felvrin had gone to Elrond with her case.  
  
"She has trouble sleeping, my lord, but it is not that which worries me. It is her dreams."  
  
"What are her dreams?" Elrond had asked.  
  
"She dreams of a roving red eye. One which is looking for her, and she must keep away, or risk losing her thoughts to it."  
  
On the surface it didn't sound like much, but both Elves understood the significance.  
  
Elrond was silent for some time. When he finally spoke, it was just to theank the scout and dismiss him. He wanted to think on this alone.  
  
He'd known the strange girl was sent for a reason, and it was just becoming clear to him. From what he and Gandalf had been able to deduce before the Wizard had left to see Saruman, Adriana had been sent by a power, to combat the evil another power had sent a few days before. The evil was to help Sauron in some way, so, by default, Adriana was to fight against the Dark Lord. Her dreams only served to back up this theory. Elrond was suddenly glad he'd insisted on such rigorous training.  
  
Adriana was watching the dusk settling from her balcony, a single candle illuminating her face from the balustrade, when she heard the faintest of noises in the distance. Hoof beats.  
  
She waited as they grew louder, heading towards the valley. Soon she could make out a tinkling of bells above the galloping sound. An Elven horse was making haste, but why? She leaned out of her room to get a better view of the main bridge entering Elrond's house, just in time to see a white horse fly over it, nostrils flaring, sweat streaking its sides. A small figure was crouched over its neck, but seemed to have no power over the horse's actions. The girl was expecting an Elven rider, probably some messenger, not a…it wasn't a dwarf, it had no beard.  
  
Without a second thought, she leaped down from her balcony and ran towards the courtyard.  
  
By the time she arrived, the rider had been taken away, and only the horse remained, its sides heaving, its eyes wild.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked the female Elf sent to take care of the animal.  
  
"There's been trouble down at the forge." She replied. "Glorfindel's horse has brought the Ringbearer here."  
  
"Ringbearer?!" Adriana exclaimed. "Where is he now?"  
  
"He was badly injured." Came the reply. "The Lord is with him now."  
  
The girl ran as fast as she could down to the healing rooms of Rivendell. That were where they had to have taken the Ringbearer. She'd not heard the term before, but it was pretty obvious. Someone was bearing The One Ring, and he was here. Which meant The Ring was here, which meant that Sauron should be searching…here!  
  
She rounded a corner, and saw the door to the healing room open at the end of the corridor. Voices came from within, and she silently padded closer. She was excited, but terrified at the same time. This seemed to be the climax of all these weeks of worry and nightmare.  
  
The voices stopped abruptly as she moved to within arm's reach of the doorway. An imposing figure exited the room, causing Adriana to take a rapid step backwards.  
  
"Gandalf!"  
  
The Wizard stood before her, looking the same as she remembered him, apart from maybe a tiredness in his eyes, and a worry which he hid well.  
  
"Adriana, my dear, How are you?" He asked with such a tone of normality that for a second she forgot what was happening and began to reply;  
  
"I'm fine thank…What the hell's going on?!"  
  
Gandalf placed a large hand on her shoulder, and steered her away from the room, blocking any view she might get at the same time.  
  
"I have returned, and the Ringbearer is here."  
  
"Who?" They were now walking back down the corridor towards the courtyard.  
  
Gandalf sighed. "Oh, well, you'd find out soon enough anyway. You know that The Ring had been found. Well, I entrusted it to the care of a friend of mine, a young Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins."  
  
"Bilbo? He's the guy that sits in his room all day and…"  
  
"Yes, indeed he is." Gandalf cut her off.  
  
"But he's…well, he had The Ring?!"  
  
Adriana knew of the Hobbit who had come to stay in Rivendell some years before. She'd never seen him, but she'd been told he rarely ventured out of his room, preferring to sit and write all day, and take naps, and enjoy the hospitality of Elrond's cooks. And to think he had The Ring!  
  
"For a while." Gandalf carried on. "When he grew old, he passed it on to his Nephew, Frodo Baggins. You also know that the Nazgul are abroad, and are searching for The Ring. Because of this threat, Frodo had to leave his home and make his way here, along with some companions who wouldn't let him go alone. The Nazgul accosted him by the ford, but thanks to a little spell and Glorfindel's horse, he has made it here. He was injured by a Nazgul blade, however, and Lord Elrond needs all his strength to heal him. It is best not to interrupt."  
  
Adriana's mind reeled from all this information. It was a lot to take in at once, but she thought she got the picture.  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Quite. I suggest you go back to your room, and wait to be called to any important matters which might occur."  
  
At that, Gandalf turned to leave, but before he did, he added; "And it's good to see you again, young one."  
  
Adriana didn't go back to her room. She waited at the bridge, and couldn't quite mask her amazement when three small figures, an Elf, and a Man, crossed into Rivendell.  
  
"Hello there!" One of the small people said. "Who are you?"  
  
The other two Hobbits, and both taller travellers looked at her.  
  
"I'm Adriana. Welcome to Rivendell." She said, jumping down from her place on a wall.  
  
"You're not an Elf." The first Hobbit said. "I'm Peregrin Took, but you can call me Pippin. This is Meriadoc Brandybuck, or Merry as we call him, Samwise Gamgee, Strider here's the big fellow, and this fine Elf is Glorfindel."  
  
"I see." Adriana said, nodding at each in turn. "Nice to meet you all. You'd better go inside to see Gandalf. Elrond's busy helping…Frodo, is it?"  
  
One of the Hobbits stepped forwards, a look of pure concern on his face.  
  
"How is Frodo? Is he going to be ok?"  
  
"I honestly don't know" Adriana said apologetically. "I know that he can't be disturbed right now, but I think Elrond can heal your friend."  
  
"We will go to Gandalf." The Man, Strider said, but not before giving her a strange look. Maybe it was her accent, or her appearance as a woman in trousers, or the language she used. She got the feeling he didn't quite trust her to be there.  
  
Glorfindel the Elf bowed lightly to her, as did the Hobbits as they followed Strider towards the courtyard. Merry and Pippin held back from the other three.  
  
"Why are you in Rivendell if you're not an Elf?" Merry asked.  
  
"And you don't speak like any Men we've met." Pippin added.  
  
Adriana smiled. "Aren't you tired from your journey?"  
  
"Well, maybe a little hungry…" Merry said, feeling his stomach gingerly. "We've not eaten since this morning."  
  
"Well, how about we get to know each other over tea?"  
  
"Tea? Will there be food with that?" Pippin said with a hint of alarm.  
  
Adriana grinned. "Of course!"  
  
"Well what are we waiting for?!" The Hobbit cried. "Let's go! Hey, Sam? Do you want to join us for some grub?"  
  
The stouter Hobbit looked at them with a mixture of incredulity and horror.  
  
"But Master Frodo!" He exclaimed, motioning to the disappearing Strider and Glorfindel.  
  
"He'll be ok." Pippin said. "Besides, Elrond can't be disturbed, remember? And Gandalf won't go anywhere! Come on!"  
  
Samwise looked at them dubiously, but eventually sighed and said; "Alright then," before following Adriana, Pippin and Merry through a side doorway, into the maze of passages.  
  
A/N: Note that Glorfindel appears, and not some film-maker's-adjustment-to- bring-in-female-empathy! Told you the Fellowship would come into this eventually. Please Review! 


End file.
